Mailbox Monday

Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week.

Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists

It’s been ages since I’ve participated in this meme, but it’s lovely to see that it’s still around. You’ve probably noticed it’s been a bit more quiet around here and many know I’m one step away from graduating, but I need to concentrate on studying and so I thought I’ll leave you with bookish envy until I return August 4th.

Usually, I don’t get that many books in my mailbox but this week has been lovely and added three exciting works to my shelves:

The Feminist Bookstore Movement: Lesbian Antiracism and Feminist Accountability (Kristen Hogan)

From the 1970s through the 1990s more than one hundred feminist bookstores built a transnational network that helped shape some of feminism’s most complex conversations. Kristen Hogan traces the feminist bookstore movement’s rise and eventual fall, restoring its radical work to public feminist memory. The bookwomen at the heart of this story mostly lesbians and including women of color measured their success not by profit, but by developing theories and practices of lesbian antiracism and feminist accountability. (Amazon)

On Being Included: Racism and Diversity in Institutional Life (Sara Ahmed)

What does diversity do? What are we doing when we use the language of diversity? Sara Ahmed offers an account of the diversity world based on interviews with diversity practitioners in higher education, as well as her own experience of doing diversity work. Diversity is an ordinary even unremarkable feature of institutional life. And yet, diversity practitioners often experience institutions as resistant to their work, as captured through their use of the metaphor of the “brick wall.” On Being Included offers an explanation of this apparent paradox. It explores the gap between symbolic commitments to diversity and the experience of those who embody diversity. (Goodreads)

The Underground Railroad (Colson Whitehead)

Cora is a slave on a cotton plantation in Georgia. Life is hellish for all slaves, but Cora is an outcast even among her fellow Africans, and she is coming into womanhood; even greater pain awaits. Caesar, a recent arrival from Virginia, tells her of the Underground Railroad and they plot their escape. (Goodreads)

The first two books I splurged on when Duke UP had a 50% sale and I’ve been wanting them for quite some time. Sara Ahmed is one of my favorite activist academics even if she is intimidatingly smart and I love the intro. Hogan’s books sounds amazing and it’s a topic I wish I knew more about. It’s written by a white woman but I’ll be interested to see how she works the antiracism angle. And finally @BlackBrainFood (must follow for amazing tweets on Black culture) over on twitter send me their copy of Whitehead’s new book, I’m so excited to read this!

Which books are new on your shelves? Bought or otherwise acquired.

Mailbox Monday, September 24

“Mailbox Monday is a gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week and explore great book blogs. Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.” It is hosted by BookNAround this month.

I’m currently staying with my parents and so got to visit all my old bookish haunts 😉 There’s a wonderful second-hand bookshop, which was closed for a while because a water pipe or something broke. Luckily it re-opened last week and everything seems to have survived.

Travel Light (Naomi Mitchinson)

A magical quest story with bears, dragons and more.

Angel (Elizabeth Taylor)

Born to a shopkeeper mother, Angel thinks she is destined for much more. Retreating into romance, she begins writing fanciful stories.

Bad Company (Liza Cody)

The second Anna Lee book, in which she is herself kidnapped while investigating a case.

Under Contract (Liza Cody)

Another Anna Lee book, in which she has to mind a rock-star on tour.

And then I couldn’t resist the big bookstore and also got:

The Thief (Fuminori Nakamura)

The thief is offered a job he can’t refuse, and he is tangled-up in a web of political intrigue as a result.

What books came into your house last week?

Mailbox Monday

“Mailbox Monday is a gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week and explore great book blogs. Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.” It is hosted by 5 Minutes For Books this month.

Last week, I took a trip to Utrecht with a friend and what is a city trip without stopping at  a couple of bookstores!? I actually found a few not too expensive, used books which I’ve been wanting to read for a while:

The Ministry of Pain (Dubravka Ugresic)

A novel about the experience of living in excile, my first Ugresic I think!

My Turn to Make the Tea (Monica Dickens)

Yes, it ws the title that made me pick up the book 😀 But reading about the daily life of a young reporter in the newsroom packed in a cosy and witty story made me buy this copy.

Little Boy Lost (Marghanita Laski)

Laski’s Victorian Chaise-Longue was amazing so I was happy to find a copy of this book about the search for a young boy in post-war France.

Blandings Castle (P. G. Wodehouse)

Wodehouse’s Blandings Castle series is just as amazing as his Bertie and Jeeves stories and I think I’ll have to pace myself soon.

I also went to the library and picked up:

2666 (Roberto Bolano)

I’ve never read anything by Bolano and this might not be the best place to start but I’m determined to read more literature that is not British or U.S. American. The book’s size and its reputation are quite intimidating but we’ll see how I’ll get on.

American Gods (Neil Gaiman)

I read Neverwhere ages ago and enjoyed the story but the writing wasn’t too impressive. Since so many people told me how much they liked American Gods, I want to give Gaiman another try.

What books did you acquire or loot from the library recently?

Mailbox Monday

Mailbox Monday is a gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week and explore great book blogs. Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists. Mailbox Monday was started by Marcia of The Printed Page; this month it is hosted by I’m Booking It.

 

A Vocation and A Voice (Kate Chopin)

This is Chopin’s last short story collection, written during the 1890s. I really wanted to read more of her work.

Diary of  a Provincial Lady (E.M. Delafield)

Everyone’s made this one sound so perfect, I couldn’t resist. I only hope it’s more funny than The Way Things Are, which is one of the saddest books I’ve ever read!

The Professor and the Madman (Simon Winchester)

Another mooch. I’m very interested in Victorian attitudes to insanity, and I thought it was time to read more about the male experience 🙂

 

What books arrived in your house?

Mailbox Monday

Mailbox Monday was created by Marcia at The Printed Page. It is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week. (Library books don’t count, but eBooks & audiobooks do). Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists! This month MM is hosted by Library of Clean Books.

Yay, I got some books I don’t have to lug back to the library! 🙂

 

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (Agatha Christie)

I’m writing a paper on this one, but since I only have a very used German copy I’ve been sharing with my mum for years, I thought it was a great excuse to get this nice paperback.

The Manual of Detection (Jedediah Berry)

Needed a book to read for my 5 hour trip home yesterday and treated myself to this book (which I’ve been wanting to read for ages and it was pretty great).

A Red Herring Without Mustard (Alan Bradley)

I adore the Flavia series and had to get book 3. It’s supposed to be my reward for finishing my papers so I’ll try to resist till April (haha, I know!).

Some Tame Gazelle (Barbara Pym)

This one is a mooch. Excellent Women was amazing so I can’t wait to try another Pym.

 

What arrived in your house last week?

 

Note: Thanks everyone for voting. Most of you wanted to read my thoughts on Ex Libris next, so I’ll post the review this week!

Mailbox Monday

“Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week. Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.” This month it is hosted by She Reads and Reads.

In a Summer Season (Elizabeth Taylor)

I really enjoyed Taylor’s Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont and wanted to read more of her works. I found this one on bookmooch and hope it’s a good one.

The Diary of a Nobody (George and Weedon Smith)

I can’t resist the English humorists and this one is a classic so it was only a matter of time before I got around to it. For those who don’t know, this book is about middle-class Charles Pooter, living in Victorian London, who reasons that although he is a nobody, his diary might be entertaining as well.

Dandelion Wine (Ray Bradbury)

This one is non-sci-fi Bradbury and chronicles the summer of a twelve-year-old boy. After hearing great things about Dandelion Wine from Vishy and Jessica, I knew I had to read it. Question is, do I wait till summer to read it?

The Victorian Chaise-Longue (Marghanita Laski)

This one is more appropriate considering the season, and I can’t wait to get spooked by this Victorian horror story.

And all these books were mooches! It’s official, I’m a fan! 🙂

 

What came into your house last week?

Mailbox Monday

“Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week. Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.” This month it is hosted by She Reads and Reads.

 

Irresistible Empire – America’s Advance through 20th Century Europe (Victoria de Grazia)

Another one on American consumerism. Uni is completely awesome and made me get this book 🙂

Ella Minnow Pea (Mark Dunn)

I’ve been wanting to read Ella Minnow Pea since I read Ana’s review, and guess what I found in a used bookstore in Copenhagen?! Finished this one yesterday, it’s fantastic. If you love dystopian fiction, epistolary novels and language give this one a try.

The Female Malady – Women, Madness and English Culture, 1830-1980 (Elaine Showalter)

From the same store, I was squealing (on the inside I hope) when I found this stacked away. Showalter examines madness as the female malady. She highlights the connection between the social conventions for and oppression of women with female insanity and goes into the history of psychiatry, and he representation of “the madwoman in the attic”.

 

What books came into your house last week?

Mailbox Monday

“Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week. Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.” This month it is hosted by Bermuda Onion.

Only three books this week, but my family is now convinced that I have a book buying problem (they don’t really get the concept of bookmooch) 😀 Here’s what arrived in my house in the last week:

Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death (M.C. Beaton)

More crime fiction for cosy reading on cold Sundays. This book is the first in Beaton’s Agatha Raisin series. I’ve read three or four other in this series and now finally got my hands on the first book thanks to bookmooch.

The Giver (Lois Lowry)

Another mooch. I have no idea why I haven’t read The Giver yet. I love dystopian fiction, and I don’t think I’ve heard one bad word about this.

An All-Consuming Century (Gary Cross)

This one’s for uni. Can’t wait to learn about commercialism and the United States, and I’m very happy that textbooks in English always looks so much more fun and interesting than those in German.

What books came into your house last week?

Mailbox Monday

“Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week. Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.” This month it is hosted by Bermuda Onion.

Here’s what arrived in my house last week:

Gigi– Julie de Garneilhan– Chance Acquaintances (Colette)

I found this in a wonderful second-hand bookstore when I was visiting a friend. I wish I lived in that city, there were two walls lined with used English paperbacks! Back to the book, I’ve heard so many wonderful things about Colette, and of course Gigi is her most famous work that I couldn’t leave without this book. The other two works in this collection sound very interesting as well. Should I just start with Gigi or with one of her other works?

Holy Disorders (Edmund Crispin)

This is from the same store. I’m nearly always craving cosy crime stories, and Crispin’s mysteries featuring an Oxford professor look amazing. And I love the covers of these editions! I’ve got his The Moving Toyshop but found myself avoiding it because I just know I’m going to love it. That’s probably a weird reason not to read a book, but when I saw this one I had to get it because now I can save one mystery but devour the other.

The Heat of the Day (Elizabeth Bowen)

Elizabeth Bowen is yet another writer who is hugely acclaimed but who I hadn’t heard of before blogging. I hope this is a good one to start with, it was a lucky find on bookmooch. The Heat of the Day is about WWII London and those who haven’t left the city.

Awakenings/ Zeit des Erwachens (Oliver Sacks)

Another mooch. I love what I’ve read by Sacks so far and I’m hopeful that at some point I’ll manage to find a cheap copy of Migraine somewhere. Until then I’ll just go through his other works.

What books came into your house last week?

Mailbox Monday

“Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week. Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.” This month it is hosted by Bermuda Onion.

My mailbox pile is rather modest this week, probably a good thing because I have no idea how I’m going to transport all the books I got recently back home. Might have to leave my clothes behind 😉

Netherland (Joseph O’Neill)

Found this one second-hand and couldn’t resist.For those who don’t know, Netherland is about a Dutch-born man living in post 9/11 New York.

Wie ein Stein im Geröll/ Stone in a Landslide (Maria Barbal)

Mooched. Heard lots of good things about this one so I’m curious to read it myself. And I haven’t read any literature from Spain recently, any other recommendations in that area?

On a side note, I’m going to announce the winner of the Mr. Rosenblum’s List giveaway tomorrow. So make sure to stop by if you entered!